Michael Eisner

My life (deferred)

What has happened to the boss of Disney's campfire memoirs?

WHENEVER Larry Kirshbaum, the chairman of Warner Books, heard his friend Michael Eisner, the chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, talk about summer camp he was thrilled. Mr Eisner said that everything he knew about good management he had learned at Camp Keewaydin in Vermont in the 1950s. One day Mr Kirshbaum had a bright idea: Warner Books should publish an inspirational account of Mr Eisner's camp experiences and their application to modern business. Mr Kirshbaum himself would be Mr Eisner's editor. The two even visited Keewaydin on a sort of pilgrimage.

Mr Eisner has long entertained warm feelings about his camp, which he attended every summer from the age of seven until the rather advanced age of 22. In 2001, he told American National Public Radio that while it might sound “frivolous or even silly”, his experiences at summer camp had been “the most important part of my background.” Mr Kirshbaum later elaborated on his friend's remarks: “Michael is as passionate about Camp Keewaydin as he is about anything else in life or business,” he said. “This is going to be a very big book.”

Alas. Not yet. Publication of “Camp” was scheduled for Father's Day, June 20th, and Warner Books planned to print 100,000 copies. But the company decided at a late stage not to publish the book. A spokesperson insists that Mr Eisner's manuscript was received with uncomplicated enthusiasm: “But Michael simply doesn't have the time to promote it at the moment.” Officially, publication has been delayed until Father's Day 2005.

But within the closed world of New York publishing, rumours have circulated that “Camp” was not all Mr Kirshbaum had hoped it would be. One knowledgeable source says “the manuscript Eisner turned in was really boring. It was supposed to be more autobiographical, but it was all about sending your kids to camp. And who wants their kids to turn out like Michael Eisner?”

Mr Eisner, however, may have pulled the publication of “Camp” himself. Now is not the best time for Disney's chief executive to claim great management insights. On March 3rd this year, 43% of Disney's shareholders voted that they had no confidence in his leadership. Their dissatisfaction derives from several factors, including the loss of a key partner in animation, the falling quality of Disney products and Mr Eisner's much-resented regal manner. Shortly after the shareholders' meeting he stepped down as chairman while retaining the title of chief executive. It is now being suggested that he may shortly be replaced as CEO too. “Camp” might not have helped him at this delicate moment.

And what of the book's content? A speech that Mr Eisner delivered at the Tri-State Camping Conference in 2001 provides some hints of how the final product might have been. There he told the assembled camping professionals: “But, oh, the lessons I learned. On those canoe trips, we could never survive the first day if we didn't practise teamwork, show initiative, handle adversity, listen well and maintain a sense of humour. These attributes don't just apply to canoe trips. Years later, I found myself running an entire entertainment company. But much of the success I have achieved can be traced to the direct and metaphorical lessons I've learned in building campfires.” Who says Disney can't still offer good entertainment?